Detailed Accident Report

Date: 2002-01-28Submitted By: WWANPlace: Mount Carlyle near Kaslo, 30 miles north of the Canadian border near Idaho. State: BCCountry: CANADAFatalities: 3Summary: Three backcountry skiers caught and killed

****MEDIA REPORTS****

Avalanche kills 3 from Seattle area

By Seattle Times staff and The Associated Press

Three backcountry skiers from the Seattle area have been killed in an avalanche in southeastern British Columbia, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The victims were Susan Majeski McKnight, 53, of Lake Forest Park and Georgia Lynne Bakke, 42, and Lawrence Gordon Duff, 54, both of Edmonds, RCMP Sgt. Randy Koch said late last night.

The three were among a party of five skiers Monday afternoon who had been heading down Mount Carlyle near Kaslo, 30 miles north of the Canadian border near Idaho.

The group was staying at the Kootenay Mountain Huts, a popular destination for backcountry skiers 7,000 feet up Mount Carlyle. It is about six miles north of Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park.

The area is in the tree line, very rugged and remote, Koch said, but the skiers were skiing in an open, treeless area.

According to the RCMP, the five skiers were around 6,000 feet, descending the steep slope of Mount Carlyle single-file, to lessen the danger of an avalanche.

McKnight, Bakke and Duff descended safely, Koch said. The fourth skier triggered a Class 3 avalanche, measuring approximately 700 yards long and 200 yards wide, which buried the first three skiers below him.

The fourth skier was able to ski out of danger, and the fifth skied down after.

The two dug out the bodies, which took about two hours, and then returned to their cabin half a mile away to notify police via radiotelephone. The bodies were recovered yesterday and taken to Trail, B.C., southwest of Nelson.

Koch said the skiers all carried transceivers, shovels and 8-foot telescopic probes ? equipment used for escaping or rescue from avalanches.

"Every indication was that they were prepared, experienced backcountry enthusiasts," Koch said.

Avalanche danger at the time was rated as "considerable."

Two other people have been killed in B.C. avalanches this season: a skier from the United States and a Canadian snowmobiler.